2000
#98,298
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 171
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.06
Very Rare Last name
Ganahl
A surname of German origin meaning "valley dweller".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 219 Americans carry the last name Ganahl. That puts it at #100,867 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.06 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,565,088 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Ganahl surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
219
1 in 1,565,088
Census rank
#100,867
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
191
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 191 bearers of the surname Ganahl in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.06 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 100867th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Ganahl, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (3.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Ganahl
The surname GANAHL is of German origin, originating in the southern regions of Germany in the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Old High German word "ganaht" or "ganahin," meaning "to keep watch" or "to guard." This suggests that the name may have originally referred to someone who worked as a watchman or guard, possibly in a military or defensive capacity.
The earliest recorded instances of the name GANAHL can be traced back to the 13th century, appearing in various medieval documents and records from Bavaria and other parts of southern Germany. One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Heinrich Ganahl, a soldier mentioned in a chronicle from the year 1276.
In the 14th century, the name GANAHL appeared in the records of the city of Augsburg, where it was associated with a family of merchants and landowners. The Ganahl family was involved in the textile trade and owned several properties in the city and surrounding areas.
During the Renaissance period, the GANAHL name gained some prominence in the world of art and literature. Johann Ganahl (1542-1609) was a notable German painter and engraver who worked in the Mannerist style, producing religious works and portraits for wealthy patrons.
In the 18th century, Johann Georg Ganahl (1718-1784) was a German composer and organist who served as the Kapellmeister (music director) at the court of the Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt. His compositions include several operas and instrumental works that were highly regarded in their time.
Another notable bearer of the GANAHL name was Karl Ganahl (1882-1945), an Austrian politician and lawyer who served as the Chancellor of Austria for a brief period in 1922. He played a role in the post-World War I political turmoil in Austria and was a member of the Christian Social Party.
The GANAHL surname has also been associated with various places and geographical features throughout Germany and Austria. For example, there is a village called Ganahl in the district of Pfaffenhofen an der Ilm in Bavaria, and a mountain called Ganahl Spitze in the Austrian Alps.
Overall, the surname GANAHL has a rich history dating back to medieval times, with its origins rooted in the German language and culture. It has been borne by individuals from various walks of life, including soldiers, merchants, artists, musicians, and political figures, reflecting the diversity of the name's heritage.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ganahl
Among Census respondents with the surname Ganahl, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (3.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Ganahl bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Ganahl surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.0% · 170
- Hispanic or Latino3.7% · 7
- Asian and Pacific Islander3.7% · 7
- Two or more races3.7% · 7
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ganahl
Ganahl appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#91,221
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 202
+31 bearers (+18.1%)
Per 100,000 0.07
Rank movement Up 7,077 places
2020
#100,867
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 191
-11 bearers (-5.4%)
Per 100,000 0.06
Rank movement Down 9,646 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #98,298 | 171 | 0.06 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #91,221 | 202 | 0.07 | +31 bearers (+18.1%) | Up 7,077 places |
| 2020 | #100,867 | 191 | 0.06 | -11 bearers (-5.4%) | Down 9,646 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Ganahl surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #91,221 | #100,867 | -10.6% |
| Count | 202 | 191 | -5.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.07 | 0.06 | -8.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ganahl bearers went from 202 to 191 (-5.4% change). The surname moved down 9,646 positions in the national ranking, going from #91,221 to #100,867.
FAQ
Ganahl surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ganahl?
Name Census estimates that about 219 living Americans carry the surname Ganahl. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,565,088 residents.
How common is Ganahl?
Ganahl ranks #100,867 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.06 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 191 people with the surname Ganahl. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (219), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.06 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.06 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Ganahl.
Has Ganahl become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ganahl went from 202 recorded bearers to 191. That is a decrease of 11 (-5.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #91,221 to #100,867.
What does the Census say about the background of Ganahl?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ganahl, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (3.7%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Ganahl in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.0% (170 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ganahl appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.0%), Hispanic (3.7%), Asian/Pacific Islander (3.7%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Ganahl (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Ganahl mean?
A surname of German origin meaning "valley dweller". The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Ganahl (0.06 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people have the last name Ganahl?
You can see how many people are called Ganahl on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.